In an ere where almost everything is billed as "social," streaming music is a surprisingly outlier. Given music's power to bring people together, streaming would seem ripe as a social hub. Facebook could fill that void - without ever launching its own streaming service. But, as MIDiA's Mark Mulligan points out, so far Facebook + music are more about promise than delivery.
By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA from his Music Industry blog
Facebook recently secured licensing deals with music r... Tags: Facebook, Asia, Music, Japan, India, Bruce Houghton, Mark Mulligan, Facebook Facebook, Kugou Kuwo, Bytedance TikTok

Airbnb, which is planning to go public by next year, has been looking towards India and China to meet its growth goals, and OYO with its sizeable footprint in these two markets fits in neatly with these plans. Tags: Travel, China, India, Oyo

From Extra Crunch
A lot of subscribers got to hear from TechCrunch hardware guru Brian Heater, who has been meeting with (too many) robotics companies as we prepare for TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics. If you weren’t able to join us, a transcript will be available in the next 48 hours.
We have Lucas Matney and Eric Peckham on the horn this Friday at noon PDT to talk about all things Game Developers Conference (GDC). Be sure to check your emails for details.
Wide Angle
zssp via Getty Images ... Tags: Google, China, India, Tech, Airbnb, Travis Kalanick, Lucas Matney, Brian Heater, Eric Peckham, The Extra Crunch Daily, Getty Images Stories

Fascinating interactive graphic shows changes in the globe’s 10 most populous cities from 1500 to 2018This compelling interactive “bar chart race” shows the top 10 most populous cities in the world from 1500 to 2018.“In the early 1500s most people lived in the east, either the east of Europe and north Africa or the east of the world itself in India and China,” says John Burn-Murdoch, who created the interactive for the Financial Times. Continue reading... Tags: Europe, Technology, China, India, Africa, World news, Cities, Data visualisations, Financial Times Continue, John Burn Murdoch

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Global investment powerhouse KKR & Co Inc is raising its first Asia-focused real estate fund, targeting $1.5 billion as it looks to deepen its real estate portfolio in the region, said people with knowledge of the matter.
The New York-headquartered private equity firm is moving toward first-close of the fund late in the second quarter, the people said, declining to be named as the information is confidential.
The firm itself will commit about $250 million in capital, and po... Tags: Asia, Hong Kong, New York, India, Trends, Asia Pacific, Funds, Goldman Sachs, Seoul, KKR, Reuters, Reuters Global, Blackstone Group, CLSA, Gangnam, Pattar

Series focuses on aftermath of crime that pushed government into changing sexual assault lawsTwo Delhi police officers drive along a dark highway to the home of an accused rapist, reflecting on the increasingly sadistic violence they are seeing in the Indian capital. “It’s simple,” one tells the other. “The bigger the gap between the rich and poor, the more the crimes.”Delhi Crime, a Netflix miniseries debuting globally on Friday, reconstructs the police investigation into the notorious 2012 gan... Tags: Media, India, World news, Netflix, South and Central Asia, Delhi, Jyoti Singh

Xiaomi launched the Mi Men's Sports Shoes 2 in India under Mi Crowdfunding last month, and the company started shipping the shoes a few days ago. As per the company, these are created using Uni-Moulding process, are Shock-absorbent, have anti-slip design and are durable for machine wash. Check out the photo gallery of the Dark Grey version.
It is engineered with breakthrough 5-in-1 Uni-Moulding technology that combines 5 different materials to minimize wear damage. This technology will keep... Tags: UK, India, Blogging, Xiaomi, Photo Gallery, Mi Sports Shoes 2, Xiaomi Mi Sports Shoes 2

The Hindu festival of Holi is under way in India. The two-day celebration signifies the victory of good over evil and marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Its origins can be found in Hindu mythology, while the use of colour is tied to stories about Lord Krishna Continue reading... Tags: India, Religion, World news, Culture, South and Central Asia, Festivals, Hinduism, Krishna

In a country where treatment can cost two years’ wages, a new project could mean free medical care for 500 million peopleRajiv Gupta has a distinct spring in his step. He has brought his mother to New Delhi from the northern state of Bihar for a hip replacement, for which he won’t have to pay. His mother qualified for free treatment under Ayushman Bharat, the government’s ambitious new health insurance scheme.“I can’t quite believe this is happening. When the doctors in Bihar told me it would co... Tags: India, World news, South and Central Asia, Global development, New Delhi, Bihar, Gupta, Global Health